Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-18
THE TERRELL ASYLUM.
An Eighteen Months Experience OF a
Patient in The State Lunatic
Asylum at Terrell.
This Restoration of Health the Chief Obi CT
Keep. Before the inmstes-Kinoest OF
Treatment and Best of Care.

ana the NeIC4Ct Vi TIC jury
was, that you be taken to the State In
sane Asylum at Terrell for medicsl treat
ment, and their sincere wish es jury
was, that you might soon recover your
health and position in society.
Well, Sheriff, when do We start:
On the morning train.
Very good; | will retire to my room,
pack up and remain there. Go not wish
to go through the formula Of z goodbye
with my many friends, because l feel al
most broken hearted now OF the thought,
how when the public read tbs newspapers
and see that the jury found me insane,
yes, insane; one who had been in their
midst for q period Of fifteen years
as public Ctiicer! Oh, 1t vas
bitter thought that none cen
imagine except the ones who have had the
actual exp 9rience. "Why, oh, tell me
Why" could not h I'VE been sent TO that
asylum without public trial before
Judge and q jury of six men? Would it
nave been wrong 10 have given me
private trial by two CT three experts, and
if they had decided l must go to the
a5lIum, and | was duly sent, would It, l
pray tell ne, would il have been wrong
to have deceived my relstives ana friends
by informing them that | had gone else
where for the benefit OF my health? But
these were FISHING thoughts; some that
expressed when my friend, the sheriff,
announced the result of the trial. But
have stayed e. this point too long. We
boarded the early morning train pound
tor Terrell, and while en- route my utter
arce vas small, my thoughts low and
sad, for the reason that | mad not
the slightest conception of the running
or working Of luratic asylum. My i'm
p-essiOns were similar 10 the ones that
are even cow held by q least three
fourths Of the citizens WAO have never
visited one, that in the distance you
could hear the groans, howls and shrieks
CT the idiot C, that the males we're all
classed one with another in some large
hell, that some were bound vita hand
cuffs AMI shackles, others chained 10 3
fixture, and that the keepers Wtre sea-
tered around the moo ready TO knock
down with their clubs any one at ell
trouoll soml-suCh was the wien of my
thoughts while en- r0lte on the train. It
Was midnight when we arrived st Terrell,
consequent y We mad to remain ST en- no.
tel until morning, ard ss laid on the h0-
tel bed the idea was forciOle that it
would be tie last good bed | should ever
lie on egain. We arose eariy, had break
last, & cab was called to drive Us TO the
asylum which is about one mile from
town, and we started, and es we ap =
preached, ! must admls that the longer
gszed at the building my feelings i'm
proved, and SIS we entered the asylum en-
trance gates, | remember how | held my
breath trying to hear those hoWls and
shrieks ! had anticipated, but none l
heard, and for moment the terrible
thought struck me chad lost my mind, "
and was this imagination or dream, but
that was soon dispelled. As we entered
the asylum and were ushered into the Of
fee and received the greetings Of two
gentlemen whom | soon learned were the
doctors, and Can remember plainly as
if the occurrence were only yesterday :,
toe smile that came over my cOuntenance
When l locked into the gentlemen's fea-
lures, and judging from their appearance,
the thought that came 10 me, "Oh this
is not going to be so bad" And when
the elderly gentleman gave the order to an
assistant, "Take him to the second ward, !"
and during the few moments that was oc-
cupied in bidding my friend the sheriff
goodbye, my principal thought Was, what
is the second ward? but that point was
also soon settled. The assistant led the
WAY, followed him. When we arrived
st the said ward the assistant rang bell,
and ii answer to it a gentleman unlocked
the door on the inside, to whom | was
duly introduced and turned over to as s
patient, he being what is known IS the
chief attendant OF said ward, and the
greeting and conduct of the said attend
ant was indeed kind. But again | must
acknowledge my lack CT language to de-
scribe my utmost establishment as
glanced down the hall Of the ward. Sew
eral men were walking backward and
forward on the carpet, ! noticed the hall
walls were covered with pictures, the
rooms looked as clean and neat, and the
linen as white as at the leading hotels,
and the members CT the ward appeared
sill orderly. The attendant led me down
the hall until we arrived at q room
marked No. IL, the door was open and l
was Informed that henCeforth l would &C
cupY that room. l stepped into the room
and took my seat ard glanced st the con-
tents Of said room, which consisted Of Z
nice single bedstead, the bedding consist
ing OF mattress, sheets, biark ets, spread
and pillows Cthe linen having been Ger
iainly gotten up by some one who under
stood the laundry business and in ad-
dition to the bed and bedding there was
also small table and chair. And ct
about this time one OF the attendants
called, "this way men, and get your hats
fer the play ground" And sll went with
the exception Of about four, who were
evidently left for the purpose of polishing
the brass ware that wss around the steam
heaters and the different fawcets
that opened the hot and cold water into
the wash, bath and dining rooms, all OF
which facts l carefully noted. As the
large clock in the ward denoted the hour
OF II 80 8. m, the patients were brought
back to the ward by the attendants who
had accompanied them, and as they en-
tered one by one they handed the at
tendant who was situated st the door their
hsts, and he informed them to go to tie
brush room and carefully brush and
polish their shoes, which they did, there
being about thirty Of them. Now at about
this time the bell rang, sn attendant ST
once unlocked the door, and in stepped
the Superintendent OF the asylum, DR.. D.
r. Wallace, and as he stepped in and was
seq by the patients, some OF them COM
menced TO strsighten their coats and
collars, and 1 noticed particularly that
tho DOrtn- OF ctannli he